After half a century, the dictator Fidel Castro will be stepping down from his position as the chief oppressor of the Cuban people.

An ailing Fidel Castro resigned as Cuba's president Tuesday after nearly a half-century in power, saying he will not accept a new term when the new parliament meets Sunday.

"I will not aspire to nor accept _ I repeat, I will not aspire to nor accept _ the post of President of the Council of State and Commander in Chief," read a letter signed by Castro published early Tuesday in the online edition of the Communist Party daily Granma.

The announcement effectively ends the rule of the 81-year-old Castro after almost 50 years, positioning his 76-year-old brother Raul for permanent succession to the presidency. Fidel Castro temporarily ceded his powers to his brother on July 31, 2006, when he announced that he had undergone intestinal surgery.

Since then, the elder Castro has not been seen in public, appearing only sporadically in official photographs and videotapes and publishing dense essays about mostly international themes as his younger brother has consolidated his rule.

Unfortunately, there is nothing in this development that tends towards freedom for the Cuban people. The Communists still control the island, the people are still not free, and it is presumed that Fidel's brother will be his hand-picked successor.

Interestingly enough, there was no public appearance by the ailing dictator. It is sufficient to make one question whether he is being kept on ice somewhere, pending the selection of Raul Castro as the new Cuban leader and his consolidation of power.

But until the people of Cuba are truly free, it really doesn't matter if Fidel Castro has received his infernal reward in the bowels of Hell or not. This does, however, seem to be one step closer to that glorious day of freedom.

More at Malkin, Neocon News, A Newt One, Ed Driscoll, American Mind, Matt Sanchez, TNOYF, Babalu Blog

Posted by: Greg at 11:26 PM | No Comments | Add Comment
Post contains 329 words, total size 3 kb.

Change is coming in Iraq, bit by bit, as the Sunni, Shi'a and Kurds work to forge a stronger, freer Iraq.

IraqÂ’s parliamentary leaders on Wednesday pushed through three far-reaching measures that had been delayed for weeks by bitter political maneuvering that became so acrimonious that some lawmakers threatened to try to dissolve the legislative body.

More than any previous legislation, the new initiatives have the potential to spur reconciliation between Sunnis and Shiites and set the country on the road to a more representative government, starting with new provincial elections.

The voting itself was a significant step forward for the Parliament, where even basic quorums have been rare. In a classic legislative compromise, the three measures, each of which was a burning issue for at least one faction, were packaged together for a single vote to encourage agreement across sectarian lines.

“Today we have a wedding party for the Iraqi Parliament,” said Mahmoud al-Mashhadani, the speaker, who is a Sunni. “We have proved that Iraqis are one bloc and Parliament is able to find solutions that represent all Iraqis.”

Yes, there is still more work to do, but this is one more key step along the way.

And for those who claim that this is all taking too long, I offer the reminder that it took several years to get the Articles of Confederation approved after they were written -- and several more years to produce a truly functional government under the Constitution. Indeed, it was 13 years from the signing f the Declaration of Independence to the inauguration of George Washington. In other words, creating workable political institutions takes time.

Posted by: Greg at 11:19 PM | Comments (1) | Add Comment
Post contains 282 words, total size 2 kb.